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Category: Bookshare features

Survey Says! Back-to-School Insights from Teachers of Students with Reading Barriersbackpack with school supplies spillout out and Back to School caption
Published September 21, 2018

Survey Says! Back-to-School Insights from Teachers of Students with Reading Barriers

All teachers understand the importance of giving students all the resources and tools they need to start school strong on day one. For students with disabilities, this readiness is even more critical since it is easy for them to fall behind. To assess the level of back-to-school preparedness for both teachers and students, Benetech, the parent company of Bookshare, recently surveyed 744 teachers across the United States who serve students with reading barriers including dyslexia, low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that interferes with reading. The survey asked if teachers felt prepared to start the school year, and if…

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Beginning a New School Year with BookshareBeginning a New School Year with Bookshare
Published September 19, 2018

Beginning a New School Year with Bookshare

These resources from a recent webinar help educators add students, assign books, and find reading tools so students can start school strong. What do you do if you have students with reading barriers like dyslexia and printed text doesn’t work for them? On September 5, Bookshare held a webinar for educators that answered that question: Beginning the School Year with Bookshare. If you missed it, here are the valuable resources: View the webinar recording on YouTube Download the webinar slides (PDF) Read the answers to attendees’ questions below How do you see if a particular textbook is available? You can…

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Catching up with Jessica Pinto: Bookshare Superstar and Disability Rights AdvocateJessica Pinto is sitting in a wheelchair and using a Macbook
Published September 12, 2018

Catching up with Jessica Pinto: Bookshare Superstar and Disability Rights Advocate

That was then… When we first met Jessica Pinto in 2008, she was in eighth grade at Kennedy Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In this video, Jessica explains how cerebral palsy made it extremely difficult for her to hold standard printed books and how Bookshare was a game changer for her because it let her read digital books independently. This is now… Fast forward ten years when I recently had the pleasure of learning about Jessica’s journey since 2008. How long have you been a Bookshare member? When I was in eighth grade, Megan Shanley, AT specialist for Albuquerque…

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Veteran Educator Gives Students the Tools to Succeed at Reading and Lifea young girl wearing glasses is using an iPad
Published August 21, 2018

Veteran Educator Gives Students the Tools to Succeed at Reading and Life

Kristine Dooley knows a thing or two about the benefits of accessible ebooks. An occupational therapist since 1980 and assistive technology (AT) consultant since 2009, she has advice galore for other educators who serve students with reading barriers. And she’s even more excited about the successes – small and large – that her students experience. She is a strong believer in giving students the right tools and support so they can get immediate results. I recently sat down with Kristine and asked her to share her advice. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Describe the students that…

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Day One Ready: Bookshare Back-to-School Basics for Teacherswelcome back, teachers is written on a chalkboard above an apple
Published August 6, 2018

Day One Ready: Bookshare Back-to-School Basics for Teachers

The beginning of a new school year can be stressful as well as exciting for teachers and students alike. For students who experience reading barriers, they especially need to hit the ground running on day one. Myth: Students with disabilities can’t master the same content as their peers. Reality: More than 80% of students with disabilities can meet the same academic standards as other students, when they have the right support.1 Goal: Give students with reading barriers the right support with ebooks in formats they can access along with helpful reading tools. Checklist for Teachers Make sure your students with…

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Exploring Inclusive Math with Benetech’s Clayton Lewishand holding a pencil above a worksheet with math problems
Published July 10, 2018

Exploring Inclusive Math with Benetech’s Clayton Lewis

Bookshare is just one of several inclusive education initiatives at Bookshare’s parent organization, Benetech, a nonprofit that empowers communities with software for social good. We believe that access to information is a universal human right, yet more than ninety percent of books and published materials cannot be read by people with reading barriers such as dyslexia. Our work in education is focused on one big thing: making information accessible to everyone around the world through software. One of the biggest challenges is making STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) content accessible so that students with learning barriers can see and read equations,…

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Ebooks and Assistive Technology Are Gateways to ReadingAll In Reading tweet: In recent days I've been sitting back watching my 6th graders log on to CaptiVoice and Bookshare independently. They are reading at home and in school. They are talking about books. And they can do it on their own. I can't believe we got here.
Published April 11, 2018

Ebooks and Assistive Technology Are Gateways to Reading

In Part 1, “The Crazy Reading Ladies,” Erin O’Leary and Mary Cotillo, explain how they turned Horace Mann Middle School into the school that reads. In Part 2, “The Crazy Reading Ladies” discuss how assistive technology (AT) enhances the reading experience and delivers social and academic benefits. This blog is part two of a three-part series. Which reading tools and devices do your students prefer? Erin: We are incredibly fortunate that our school has implemented a 1:1 Chromebook program. This has allowed our kids to remain logged in to their Bookshare and Capti accounts throughout the day without having to…

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When It Comes to Reading, This School is All InErin O'Leary & Mary Cotillo
Published April 4, 2018

When It Comes to Reading, This School is All In

Part 1: How “The Crazy Reading Ladies” turned Horace Mann Middle School into the school that reads. This blog is part one of a three-part series. The expectations of middle school are daunting enough without the added challenges for students with learning disabilities. Students who have difficulty with reading find themselves at a disadvantage that has repercussions academically and socially. Fortunately, Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin, Massachusetts, has Erin O’Leary and Mary Cotillo, affectionately known by their students as “The Crazy Reading Ladies.” Erin is a reading specialist who provides intensive reading instruction in both pull-out and inclusion classes.…

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Published March 1, 2018

Chromebook Accessibility Hack of the Week: Bookshare Web Reader + Read and Write for Google

By guest author Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles, PhD, ATP What a great fortune it is to work in an environment where every student is issued a Chromebook in grades 1-8. This is a HUGE game changer in the delivery of AT. In working with students who require AEM (Accessible Educational Materials), we use Bookshare, a free service that provides hundreds of thousands of print materials to qualifying individuals. Bookshare suggests many reading tools  that have been selected by users. On the Chromebook side, we have been using the Bookshare Web Reader, which is integrated into Chrome. However, for some of the students I work…

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You Have Questions – Bookshare Customer Support Team Has AnswersQuestions appears on one sign and answers appears on a second sign
Published February 9, 2018

You Have Questions – Bookshare Customer Support Team Has Answers

By Nicholas Bowen, Bookshare Customer Support Manager Every day the Bookshare Customer Support team receives questions from members through many channels: telephone, email, website contact forms, Twitter, Facebook, Discussion Forum, and at conferences. Certain questions come up repeatedly, so here is an initial attempt to solve a few mysteries, resolve conundrums, and spread general enlightenment. Look for additional blogs covering more questions – from basic to advanced — down the road. Bookshare Customer Support Team is Small, but Mighty To give you some perspective, here are some impressive 2017 statistics about the Customer Support team that supports over 550,000 members:…

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